On Thursday December 12th, we will celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  She is the patroness of the United States, Mexico and all of the Americas, as well as the protector of the unborn. She is a religious as well as a cultural figure to the people of Mexico.  In 1531, she appeared in a vision to a humble peasant farmer named Juan Diego near Mexico City.  The appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe helped generate the conversion of Mexico and Latin America to Catholicism.  Her feast is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm throughout the Americas. (Read more…)

Today is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year and we gather to celebrate this great feast of Christ the King.  The Church wants us to reflect upon what the whole of all creation is ultimately about.  Our Faith tells us that Christ will return to establish the Kingdom of God and when that time comes, the world as we know it will be transformed.  This is not something to be feared but rather something we long for because it means the complete fulfillment of God’s will. (Read more…)

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has often focused on the need for strong Catholic families.  He spoke of the Catholic family as an institution that prays, keeps the faith, and experiences joy.  He challenged families to pray together in the midst of the many distractions and busyness of daily living.  During a Mass for Family Day, he stated, “…we need simplicity to pray as a family; simplicity is necessary!  Praying the Our Father together, around the table, is not something extraordinary: it’s easy.  (Read more…)

On November 11th, we celebrate Veterans Day — a time when we pause to reflect and pray for all the dedicated men and women who served our country – especially those who have died.  This weekend at all masses we will be observing Veterans Day through special prayers of the Faithful and special blessing for our Veterans.

During this time of continued unrest in our world, we think of those who have left family to protect the freedom we have.  We enjoy great freedoms in the United States.  Let us never forget the men and women who have laid their lives on the line to defend and protect our precious liberties. (Read more…)

This Sunday begins National Vocation Awareness Week here in the United States.  It is an opportunity to remind ourselves of the need to pray for vocations to the priesthood, religious life and married life.  People do not just decide to become priests or religious, it is the result of feeling drawn to the life and the work.  It is born from a growing faith and love of Christ and the Church and the conviction that service to the Church through this vocation will not only bring joy but also better the lives of others who are drawn to Christ. (Read more…)

Catholics throughout the world are invited to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice by observing World Mission Sunday on October 20th.  Instituted for the whole Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926, it is traditionally celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday each October.

Today, let us join our brothers and sisters around the world who gather at the Lord’s Table to celebrate, with great joy, our common vocation as missionaries.  Our prayers and concrete gestures of solidarity will help build local churches across the globe.  (Read more…)